Tables are typically constructed into many different shapes and sizes to suit the particular function and the aesthetic design that is desired by its user. Tables typically include a table top and legs or base, and are usually limited in versatility, although in some cases it may be equipped with special hardware designed to allow its legs or leaves to fold. Other table configurations may include other attachments or structures to enable additional functionality in addition to its folding capability, but this usually involves the use of screws and hand-tools for the assembly of the component parts.
Banquet tables are one such type of table, and are commonly used for many special events, including school/church functions, reunions, receptions, conventions, weddings, etc. The numerous banquet tables that may be required for a special event, all need to be transported by truck from a storage facility to the location where they are to be utilized, to be carried into the location that is hosting the event, to be set-up thereat, and then they must be desirably positioned/repositioned within the space allotted to the function. Consequently, banquet tables typically have plain table tops formed of plywood or particle board that incorporate the above-mentioned folding legs thereon, so cloth coverings are normally used to mask the bland and/or worn tops/legs to improve the table's aesthetic appearance.
Where a more elegant visual appearance is desired/required for the banquet table, finished hardwoods may be used for the table top, to which an intricate metal base or bases may be secured. However, configurations have the base secured by fasteners or other attachment means requiring the use of tools and/or significant hand strength in the person performing the assembly/disassembly process; therefore they are not capable of assembly and disassembly, and they also are not compact. They also tend to be heavier, which is significant when carrying or carting the tables into the building. A further drawback of these banquet tables is that for a supplier or caterer to offer such tables to its clientele, each design type—different sized and shaped table tops, as well as different styles and heights for the corresponding bases—must be stocked in a sufficient quantity. This means greater storage space and expense—the expense of stocking many more tables, and the expense of acquiring a sufficient inventory of the different styles.
The present invention overcomes these drawbacks by providing a releasable interconnection means for the table top and bases that permits selection from among many different choices of distinctively styled bases of varying different heights, for joining with many different choices of distinctively styled table tops of varying different shapes and sizes. This significantly reduces the quantity of articles that must be purchased and stored by the banquet table supplier. It also reduces the weight of the more elaborately constructed banquet table that must be carried into a wedding hall or other facility, as the bases are easily separable/attachable with respect to the table tops. The interconnection means is also easily releasable, permitting the task of setting up and breaking down the tables to be completed by workers who possess ordinary strength. The parts of the banquet table of the present invention are also easily stored in a compact space, and may be stored on specially constructed carts, where the bases members may be stacked upon each other for such compact storage thereon.